Boxing Ledger's Archives

Sunday, February 20, 2011

The "Filipino Flash" Nonito Donaire (26-1, 18 KO's) scored a scintillating 2nd round, one-punch knockout versus Fernando Montiel (44-3-2, 34 KO's), capturing the WBC & WBO Bantamweight titles. Donaire, 28, gave Montiel, 31, problems with his high-caliber speed and agility, landing a crisp left hook over Montiel's right cross that misfired early in round one. The same sequence would repeat itself later in round two with disastrous effects for Montiel. He displayed a great deal of trouble getting close to the lightning-quick Donaire, who found his range by utilizing feints and employing superior lateral movement.

In round two, Montiel missed with a right cross again before Donaire landed a powerful counter-left hook to his head, only this time it was more precise and damaging. After Montiel was struck, he dropped instantly to the canvas, his legs twitching rapidly as he lay flat on his back. Miraculously, Montiel got back up ahead of the ten count, however, he was clearly out on his feet. Yet, referee Russell Mora gave Montiel a chance, although Donaire vigorously charged forward, connecting with a clean left hook - straight right combination to Montiel's chin, prompting the bout to be halted. Official time of the stoppage was 2:25.

Donaire continues to put on his best performances in his biggest fights. Since 2007, Donaire has stopped nine of his last ten opponents, including a fifth-round TKO win over a previously unbeaten Vic Darchinyan, a victory that might be Donaire's second career best when compared to tonight's showing. Rafael Concepcion, who lost a twelve-round unanimous decision to Donaire in 2009, was the only fighter to the last the distance with him in that time span. Undoubtedly, Donaire has now proven that he belongs among the discussion of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world with another stellar appearance.

Soto-Karass controlled the pace of round one, as Jones readily backpedaled to avoid his constant pressure.

In round two, Soto-Karass scored with a right uppercut to Jones' body, but Jones started dictating the flow of the round with his methodical left jab and slick counter punching ability.

Soto-Karass suffered a wide cut on the corner of his left eye in round three, resulting from an accidental clash of heads. However, referee Kenny Bayless, who is unable to see HBO's instant replay, ruled the cut was caused by a punch. Later, Jones connected with some sharp right uppercuts. Soto-Karass also received a minor cut on the corner of his right eye.

Soto-Karass relentlessly pressured Jones again, landing solid rights to his body and head during round four.

Jones answered in the fifth round, scoring with distinct left hook - right uppercut combinations.

Jones was controlling the action in round six when Soto-Karass hurt him with a sound right to the face. As a result, Jones received an abrasion on his left cheek slightly under his eye. Although Soto-Karass successfully landed that punch, he was starting to fatigue and appeared one-dimensional.

Soto-Karass' punch output significantly dropped by round eight, enabling Jones to circle to his left easily, and land a series of right and left uppercuts.

The ringside doctor looked carefully at Soto-Karass' eye in round ten, but allowed him to continue fighting. By this point, Soto-Karass was absorbing enormous punishment from Jones, who landed clean, sharp punches at will.

Soto-Karass, bloodied and exhausted in round eleven, was sent into the ropes after Jones hurt him with a definitive right uppercut to the face.

Jones calmly boxed in the twelfth round, as a gassed Soto-Karass courageously brought steady pressure until the final bell.

Sturm, 32, worked behind a steady, spirited left jab that continuously found the target. Hearns moved well laterally and used his left jab repeatedly, but he was unable to penetrate Sturm's high defensive guard. His punches had little or no effect, which enabled Sturm to consistently press the action.

Sturm controlled the contest comfortably throughout the first four rounds. During the first 1:30 of round five, Hearns was exceptionally fluid with his shots, taking a multitude of chances to break Sturm's unyielding defense. In the closing moments of the fifth round, Sturm connected with a right cross - left hook combination to Hearns' head, briefly dazing the 32-year-old from Southside, Michigan, U.S.A.

In the seventh round, Sturm landed a quick left jab, and followed it with a sharp, straight right to Hearns' face. Hearns, who was trapped in the corner, momentarily dropped his hands. Sturm immediately capitalized, landing a devastating, flush right cross. Referee Raul Caiz, Jr. instantly halted the bout at 2:30.

Friday, February 18, 2011

NEW YORK, NY (Feb 18, 2011) – On Saturday night in Stuttgart, Germany, one of the most famous names in middleweight history will go for gold when Ronald Hearns, the son of famed of former two-time middleweight champion Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns, battles Felix Sturm for the WBA middleweight Super Championship.

“The one thing that was not lost from generation to generation was the devastating right hand,” said Lou DiBella, the President of DiBella Entertainment, Hearns' promoter. “I believe that once Ronald lands that right hand, we will be crowning a new WBA champion.”

Fight fans in the United States are in luck, as the bout will be televised live on ESPN3.com. The telecast is scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM ET.

For more information about DiBella Entertainment, including a list of all upcoming bouts, please visitwww.dbe1.com,or follow Lou DiBella on twitter,@loudibella.

Pernell Whitaker:"You can't even imagine the feelings I am having right now about this kid (Judah). He's like a student all over again, it's like re-teaching the guy some of the best things about himself. Nobody probably knows better than me, other than his father, about his fight game. It's been easy for me to give him the transformation to do all the things I know he can do very well, and to please the crowd."

"Zab had a different mentality (before training with Whitaker). It's not Zab's style being a knock out artist and trying to prove that he could punch. He's a finesse fighter, he has probably the quickest hands in the sport and he has power. So he has to let all those things come together."

"I'm a scientist now, I'm not a boxer, but I was a legend, I wasn't just a boxer. I knew the game from A to Z. You can come to me with your opinion, but I know the facts. So what I'm doing with this young man is giving him the facts. If I think something don't work, we won't do it. I don't take no risks, there's no carelessness."

"I don't train guys to be like me, I help guys to do the things that work for them. If I can teach you how to hit and not get hit, then that's a blessing for you. Zab has the same abilities that I have but Zab still has to put it together and do it the way that Zab knows how to do it."

"If the fight is scheduled 12 rounds, we're prepared to go 12 rounds. My job is to make sure he's ready to give you people 12 solid rounds. If anything less happens (rounds) that's just a tribute to his hard work."

"I'm a defensive fighter. That's the first thing I'm going to remind him of, how to not get hit. That's the main goal. To hit and not get hit is a beautiful feeling."

(What does Zab have to do to get to the top of his 140lb division?) "All he has to do is stay focused. He's transformed into something totally different than I've seen in old Zab. He's a new father, he has a beautiful family, he's into his church thing and his religion. He's just more settled down than the Zab that I've seen in the past. When he boxes the way he knows how to box, I can't see nobody in this division out-boxing Zab."

"I think (in the past) the head butts have been his biggest downfall. He's been through a couple of those. So it's my main focus to keep his head out of there. Keep him out of trouble; keep him out of danger spots."

"It's been a phenomenal 4 weeks so far with Zab. He's been looking me right in the eye cause he wants to know these things. He wants to get it down right. So now I'm gonna put all those things together; the finesse; the speed; and the power that he does have. I want to put all three of those things together into one and let him work it out March 5th. Whatyou're gonna get this time is some good boxing, some great defense and a good jab."

"I haven't seen anything exciting in the sport in a long time, but I know I will on March 5th when I see this young man (Judah) go out there and do 'me' all over again. You're gonna see Zab Judah perform out there."

Kathy Duva compared working with Zab in the past to working with Zab now:"Wow, it's completely different and yet in some ways it's the same. He's still got the energy and he's still fun, but he's so much more grown up now. He's a grown man. It's very different in that respect. Before that we were literally trying to corral him. We were dealing with a teenager and now we're dealing with a guy who knows who he is, what he wants, where he's going and sees what he has to do to get there. It's a wonderfully different experience in that respect."

Kathy Duva added, "Now, having brought Pernell into the picture, it's one of those moments where we say 'why didn't we think of this earlier?' Still when you send them to camp you really don't know what's going to happen, but I heard Zab speaking today and you can hear it in his voice. He's got so much more confidence. He's so on top of it. He referred to how, in the gym yesterday everything came together all at once. I know that anyone who has to learn something difficult realizes that that's how you learn. You struggle for a while and then suddenly everything clicks into place. When I heard him say that, it just made my day that means it really is working. I can't wait to see him fight."

The March 5th card featuring Zab "Super" Judah vs. Kaizer Mabuza for the IBF World Jr. Welterweight title ispromoted by Main Events and Super Judah Promotions. An exciting undercard will also feature Sadam "Worldkid" Ali, as well as Tarvis Simms and 5 other local standouts. The fights will take place at Prudential Center's AmeriHealth Pavilion, Newark, NJ.

Doors open at 7:30pm; first fight 8:00pm. Tickets priced at $253 Ringside, $103 Reserved seating on floor, $88 General Admission in Bleachers and $53 GA Standing Room on floor. Tickets on sale 2/5, available at Prudential Center Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at 800-745-3000 or www.Prucenter.com

Judah vs. Mabuza will be distributed in North America by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9 PM/ET 6 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay per view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, Avail-TVN and DISH Network in the United States, as well as Viewer's Choice, Shaw and Bell TV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95

Thursday, February 17, 2011

New York, NY, February 17, 2011 –EPIX, the premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service, brings heavyweight championship boxing back to the American airwaves when WBC Heavyweight Champion Vitali Klitschko defends the coveted crown against #1 ranked challenger Odlanier Solis March 19, 2011 on the EPIX channel and on EpixHD.comLIVE at 6:00 pm ET, followed by a replay at 10:00pm ET.

Klitschko vs. Solis will originate from the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, which sold out in minutes after tickets went on sale in January. Klitschko, who sports a record of 41 wins and 2 losses, with 38 wins coming by way of knockout, will be making the eighth defense of his crown, and his seventh since 2008 when he ended a four year hiatus from the ring. Along with his young sibling, Wladimir, the Klitschko brothers are world renowned as being the premiere forces in the heavyweight division.

“We are pleased to bring this exciting heavyweight championship to American boxing fans on television and online,” said EPIX President and CEO Mark Greenberg.

Klitschko vs. Solis marks the first boxing event televised on EPIX, and the first time a Klitschko bout has aired live on American television since 2009. Launched in October 2009, EPIX continues to expand its original programming, adding to a formidable list of music, comedy, and sports talent and garnering an Emmy nomination in its first year.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

ROBERT GUERRERO VS. MICHAEL KATSIDIS FROM THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS AND TELEVISED LIVE ON HBO PAY-PER-VIEW®

Tickets On Sale Thursday At 10:00 A.M. PT

LOS ANGELES, February 16 - In what promises to be an explosive night of fights featuring six all-action boxing heroes, on Saturday, April 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., five-time and three-division World Champion Erik "El Terrible" Morales (51-6, 35 KOs) returns to the pugilistic forefront when he faces power-punching Argentinean Marcos "El Chino" Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs) in a classic battle for pride, honor and glory. Also featured will be former Undisputed Junior Middleweight World Champion and future Hall of Famer Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs) returning to the ring to face exciting European Champion Matthew Macklin (28-2, 19 KOs) in a classic crossroads battle. The event will also showcase what promises to be a slugfest between former World Champions Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero (28-1-1, 18 KOs) and Michael Katsidis "The Great" (27-3, 22 KOs).

Tickets for "Action Heroes" priced at $350, $250, $150, $75, $50 and $25, go on sale Tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 17 at 10:00 a.m. PT. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

"Action Heroes" featuring Morales vs. Maidana in a 12-round junior welterweight bout, Wright vs. Macklin in a 10-round super middleweight fight and Guerrero vs. Katsidis in a 12-round lightweight battle is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Erik Morales' Box Latino and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, DeWalt Tools and Tres Generaciones. Wright vs. Macklin is presented in association with Winky Promotions and Guerrero vs. Katsidis is presented in association with Sampson Boxing. The bouts will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Luke Campbell and Johnny Eames at the Ultrachem TKO Gym in London in 2010

London - Tuesday 15th February 2011

This past weekend European Gold Medalist Luke Campbell’s pre-Olympics campaign got off to a flying start, at the first major amateur tournament of 2011 the Bocskai Memorial Tournament in Debrecen, Hungary.

Luke, who in 2009 won the European Gold on his first attempt , beat local favourite Krisztian Nagy 8-5 to secure his first title of the year, as well as to further assert his position as favourite for the Team GB 56kg selection at the London 2012 Olympics.

The end of the first round see Luke 1-0 down, despite landing many excellent shots. Not to be deterred Luke turned on the style and took the fight to the Hungarian and what ensued can only be described as a boxing masterclass by Luke, to not only pull the scoring level but by scoring with four blows took a single point lead into the final round.

Luke’s boxing masterclass continued in the final round, where again he picked up four points, to secure the win by a tidy 8-5 margin.

Speaking on the phone earlier today Luke spoke of the tournament and his winning performance. “Yeah it was good to get four fights in four day. I had four fights on the trot, I’ve never done that before. It was good, I felt good in each fight to be honest with you and I could have gone a fifth time.

There’s no problem with my fitness, this proved it as I could have easily fought for a fifth time, which is good news to know I could do that, especially against four world class opponents.

I beat the first kid 7-1 and I put him down on the canvas as well. I beat the second kid 7-1 as well and then I beat the Romanian in the third fight who beat the Russian in the fight before me so that was good.

The final was 8-5, the five scoring was obviously because he’s the Hungarian Golden Boy. They wanted him to win but I fought better and won the fight.

Every outing for Great Britain, since my hand injury, I have won which is good as they were tough tournaments. I’ve put in excellent performances and bought home the Gold each time.

I’m really pleased, there’s no problems with my hand now, there’s no problems full stop. My confidence is growing all the time. Obviously winning these tough tournaments my confidence is growing all the time. Hopefully I’ll keep the momentum going, make further improvements and get better and better. I’ll keep working my way up.

I’m working really well with the coaches and the team at the minute. I seem to be progressing all the time and my boxing is getting better.”

On Saturday night former IBO Light Welterweight Champion of the World Colin Lynes made his welcome return to the ring, against former British and Commonwealth Champion Bradley Pryce, at the Matchroom Sports promoted John Watson-Anthony Crolla clash for the vacant British Lightweight title.

In spite of being designated as the opponent Colin showed that the ten months out of the sport had not affected him one iota, neither had the move from Light Welterweight to Welterweight, if anything it improved his performance in the later rounds.

Considering Bradley Pryce had been in championship training, for a shot at Sam Webb’s British Light Middleweight Crown, Colin easily dominated the first five rounds with crisp jabs and heavy straight rights.

Pryce came back strong in the sixth and tried to bully his way through Colin. Pryce won his first round of the contest by being by far more assertive than he had in the early rounds as well as landing some telling shots.

More of the same came in the seventh and at one time Pryce managed to corral Colin on the ropes. Pryce’s late charge was paying dividends but at this point he really needed a knockout to stand any chance of securing the win.

Pryce kept the pressure up in the final round but Colin was savvy and just plain boxed his way to a well earned points victory.

Earlier today I spoke with Colin on phone about the fight, as well as his future plans. “I’m really, really pleased. It was a calculated risk but we knew we were right in ourselves and knew I was ready for up to ten rounds. So it’s all good and it’s onwards and upwards and we’ll start looking for titles.

I well won it, but I was treated like the away fighter. I think they thought that he would deal with me or get me out of there. A lot of boxing people thought the same, as it was my first fight back in nearly a year. Bradley was getting ready for Sam Webb so he was sort of championship training.

People were hoping I would be capable of dealing with him but realistically I think a majority of people thought he would deal with me or get me out of there.

He started to come back in the middle rounds a bit. His corner told him to go out there and get this kid out of there so he had a round or two where he tried to be the bully again but Jimmy instructed me to get back out there and take command of the centre ring, so I did.

There’s still loads to be done, that’s just with me being with Jimmy and Mark since the Summer. They’ve just been getting me into shape and now their talking about getting me back into the gym soon and getting down to some proper championship training, so I’m only going to take a couple of weeks out and then I’ll be back in the gym and next time I’ll be a lot better.”

Following the conversation with Colin I spoke with his new coach Jimmy Tibbs, at the Ultrachem TKO Boxing Gym in Canning Town, London, who added, “Good comeback fight after ten months out of the ring. Stamina was very well, little bit ring rusty.

I’ve got to say that he fought a man that was ready to fight for the Light Middleweight Championship of Great Britain, that was against Sam Webb.

Bradley Pryce was what you would call a big Light Middleweight and he looked it. You could see the difference in size that night. But there’s no complaint from our side, we knew what we walking into.

He done his job, stuck to his orders. I was very pleased with him

I believe he could have another couple of warm up fights and easily step into the British Welterweight title.

He done a great performance and Mark (co-trainer Mark Tibbs) and myself are both very proud of him.”

Colin and Jimmy have made it crystal clear that Championship honours are well and truly in their sights. I am sure that is pleasing news to his legion of loyal fans, as well as boxing fans the World over, that one of our great champions, and one of the nicest guys in the sport, is set for a revival.

Carshalton’s ‘Pretty’ Ricky Boylan has a busy month ahead of him, with two fights scheduled just a few weeks apart, as he prepares to establish his credentials as one of the future stars of the British Lightweight division.

Back in December the former London ABA finalist impressed on his professional debut, against Birmingham’s Sid Razak at the excellent ‘Judgement Day’ event.

It was hard to think that Boylan was debuting, as his performance was exceptionally slick and mature in it’s approach. Round after round Razak was having to cover up as Boylan peppered him with solid combinations to the head and body.

In the final round ‘Pretty Ricky’ changed tactics and boxed on the back foot but still Razak was unable to get any semblance of control due to Boylan’s impressive movement and powerful combinations. Surprisingly the referee deemed the fight as a 59-56 points win for ‘Pretty’ Ricky and not the clear shut out it was.

Boylan’s scintillating performance not just grabbed the headlines but also the attention of promoters Miranda Carter and Steve Goodwin, who were quick to invite him to fight on their upcoming shows.

The first of these events is this coming weekend, when 22 year old Boylan faces the experienced Welsh banger Craig Dyer, at the Miranda Carter promoted ‘The Force of Destiny’ event at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, on Sunday 20th February 2011.

Just four weeks later, on Saturday 19th March, Boylan will make the trek from his Surrey home to the Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagenham, Essex, where he will go against the even more experienced Kristian Laight at the Steve Goodwin promoted ‘Essex Eruption’ event.

Following a training session at Johnny Eames’ Ultrachem TKO Boxing Gym in Canning Town, London, ‘Pretty’ Ricky took a few moments out to talk a little about his upcoming fights. “Yeah I’ll be out twice in the next month, It’s good, I want to be busy so I’m really pleased about this.

I said to Johnny (Eames) I just want to be busy this year so it’s good to get two within the month. It’s all good.

On the 20th February I’m fighting Craig Dyer on Miranda Carter’s show at York Hall. His record aint the best but he’s tough, comes forward and he’s strong. I’ve got to stick to my boxing.

Then I’m boxing on the 19th March as well on a Steve Goodwin show in Dagenham. I’ll be against Kristian Laight.

I made a few mistakes on my debut, I was watching a few things. I’ve got to sometimes sit back and look for the opportunity before I throw my shots, instead of just throwing them for the sake of throwing them.

But, I’ve just had the one pro fight so I’m still learning.

I’ll be three and 0 by the end of March hopefully.”

THE FORCE OF DESTINY - SUNDAY 20th FEBRUARY 2011

‘Pretty’ Ricky Boylan versus Craig Dyer takes place on Sunday 20th February 2011 at the Miranda Carter promoted ‘The Force of Destiny’ event at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London.

Tickets for THE FORCE OF DESTINY are priced £30 (Unreserved) and on sale NOW. book on-line at www.tkoboxoffice.comor in person at The Ultrachem TKO Gym, Gillian House, Stephenson Street, Canning Town, London E16 4SA or call 07960 850645

ESSEX ERUPTION - SATURDAY 19th MARCH 2011

Ricky Boylan against Kristian Laight is four weeks later at the Steve Goodwin promoted ‘Essex Eruption’ triple headlined event at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagenham, Essex on Saturday 19th March 2011.

Tickets for ESSEX ERUPTION are priced £35 (Unreserved) or £60 (Ringside) and on sale NOW.

For tickets call: 07960 850645, book on-line at www.tkoboxoffice.com or in person at The Ultrachem TKO Gym, Gillian House, Stephenson Street, Canning Town, London E16 4SA.

"Jason is exactly the type of fighter we want to have fighting on Star Boxing shows," said DeGuardia."He is exciting, he always comes to fight, and he has concussive knockout power in both hands.We had Jason on one of our shows in Atlantic City last summer, and we were very impressed.We are looking to start building his name, and further building his growing fan base throughout not only New Jersey, but New York as well.I strongly believe Jason has all the tools to one day rule the super middleweight division, and we are excited to be adding him to our stable."

Escalera, who was raised and still resides in Union City, New Jersey, first picked up the gloves when he was thirteen-years-old, but didn't start getting serious with the sport till he was seventeen.After a successful amateur career, which saw him win the 2007 NJ Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight Championship, Escalera turned pro in February of 2008, scoring the first of his nine knockouts through ten professional fights.

Escalera is coming off a brutal 2nd round stoppage over Cleoney Fugua in his last bout in October of last year.Through ten professional fights, only one of Escalera's opponents has made it to see the fourth round.

DeGuardia is very optimistic of the trio, stating, "I envision that within the next year or two, we will be sitting atop the throne of the jr. middleweight, middleweight and super middleweight divisions.It's going to be a very exciting time for all of us at Star."

Look for an announcement as to the date when Escalera will be making his Star Boxing debut very soon.

Tomasz Adamek vs. Kevin McBride, originally scheduled for late April at Newark's Prudential Center has been moved to Saturday, April 9th, it was announced today by promoters Kathy Duva of Main Events and Ziggy Rozalski of Ziggy Promotions.

The cancellation of the planned April 9th PPV bout between Juan Manuel Marquez and Eric Morales, coupled with the proximity of April 23rd to Easter Sunday caused the change.

"Like Tomasz Adamek, many of the Polish fans are deeply religious and the fact that the bout was scheduled for Easter Saturday was troubling to them," Duva explained. "We heard the fans loud and clear and, when the opportunity to move to April 9th presented itself, we decided to move to a date that is more acceptable to our fans."

"We expect that the PPV audiences for the Adamek fight and the Eric Morales fight, which is now scheduled to appear on April 9th, will consist of entirely different people," she continued. The beauty of PPV is that everyone can choose to watch whatever event they prefer. There are so many interesting fights scheduled on this spring that it is very hard to match an optimum PPV date with a date that also works in a big, busy arena like Prudential Center."

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Gabriel Bracero (14-0, 1 KO) was victorious again Wednesday night, taking an eight-round unanimous decision over Chris Fernandez (19-12-1, 11 KO's) in the main event at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill. Official scores were 79-72, and 80-71 twice.

Bracero, 29, had difficulty with Fernandez' constant pressure in round one. Fernandez pressed the action, and did not let Bracero get his punches off.

In round two, Fernandez' punch output dropped, and Bracero started to find his groove, using superior lateral movement and unleashing quick combinations. From that point, Bracero took full control of the fight in front of a boisterous crowd cheering for him.

In round four, Bracero found his range and Fernandez began following him around the ring.

Although Bracero lacks knockout power, he is able to overwhelm his opponents with his swift hand speed and large volume punching. In round five, he hurt Fernandez with a rapid right cross - left hook combination to the head. Fernandez backed into the ropes, but Bracero could not finish him.

By round six, Fernandez lost the steam on his punches. However, Fernandez got a second-wind in rounds seven and eight, closing the distance between them. Yet, Bracero used his first-class boxing skills to move in and out smoothly en route to another win.

Mark Tucker (15-0, 7 KO's) remained unbeaten, scoring a six-round unanimous decision over Ray Smith (9-5, 3 KO's) in a light heavyweight bout. Official scores were 59-55 on all three judges' scorecards, however, the bout was closer than the scores indicate.

Tucker, 23, dazed Smith with a right hook in the first round.

In round two, Smith pushed Tucker back, scoring with a right to the body.

Smith connected with a five-punch combination early in round three, as Tucker lay against the ropes.

Tucker, a southpaw, displayed a solid chin after taking a flush right hand from Smith in round four.

In the final two rounds, both fighters shared some dazzling moments, connecting with clean, but not overwhelmingly effective blows.

Gonzalez showed a ton of heart, but was getting nailed repeatedly with a series of clean left hooks and right hands to the head from Monaghan. He gave Gonzalez a bloody nose in the third round after striking him with a devastating right. Monaghan thoroughly assaulted Gonzalez' body too, although he was tiring just before the stoppage was announced. Monaghan's next appearance will be March 12th on the undercard of Martinez - Dzinziruk.

Junior middleweight Boyd Melson (2-0) improved his record with a controversial, four-round majority decision against Marquise Bruce (0-1-1). Official scores were 38-38, and 39-37 twice.

Bruce caught Melson with a sharp left uppercut in round two. Next, Bruce tagged Melson with a left hook that left him slightly dazed. Bruce's steady pressure dictated the pace in the first two rounds.

Melson came on strong in round three, connecting with a punishing straight left to Bruce's face.

Bruce got his punches off before Melson for most of round four. Melson exchanged blow-for-blow with him. In the final seconds, Bruce landed a big right hand.

Keisher McLeod-Wells (4-1, 1 KO) captured a six-round unanimous decision win over Melissa McMorrow (4-2-3) in a highly-contested flyweight battle. Official scores were 58-55, and 57-56 twice. McMorrow brought a tremendous amount of pressure in rounds one and two, hammering away at McLeod-Wells relentlessly. McLeod-Wells worked behind a steady left jab, but lacked the power to significantly hurt McMorrow. However, McLeod-Wells scored a knockdown in round six when she landed a right, resulting in McMorrow's right glove touching the canvas.

Junior lightweight Ryan Kielczewski (9-0, 2 KO) won 60-54 on all scorecards versus Wilshaun Boxley (6-8-1). Kielczewski controlled the contest by utilizing a stinging left jab. As each round passed, Kielczewski increased his punch output, and inflicted damaging blows to Boxley's head and body. In the closing seconds of the fight, Kielczewski attacked Boxley ferociously to the body with a series of left hooks, followed by a powerful right to the face that sent him staggering into the ropes. Kielczewski's next bout will be on the undercard of Martinez - Dzinziruk on March 12th.

In the first round, Burrell sustained a cut right eye, resulting from an accidental clash of heads. After that, Blocker landed a lighting-quick right that dropped Burrell.

Again, Blocker scored a knockdown in round two after peppering Burrell, a southpaw, with a barrage of punches. When Burrell got back up, he answered with some wide right hooks. Then, he started to land straight lefts to Blocker's face.

In round three, Burrell was winging right hooks, but started to show fatigue.

Both guys battled in close quarters in the final round, although it was a little too late for Burrell to make an impact on the judges' scorecards.

Steven Martinez (8-0, 7 KO's) scored a sensational first-round stoppage at 1:11 against Ishwar Amador (11-9, 7 KO's). Martinez, 20, stunned Amador with a fierce left hook to the head. From there, Martinez dropped him with a firm right to the face. Moments later, Martinez connected with a solid left hook to Amador's body, and followed it with a sequence of right hand shots until referee Earl Brown halted the action.

Featherweight Joseliz Cepeda (3-1) scored a four-round unanimous decision victory over Allan Benitez, who was making his professional debut. Official scores were 40-36, and 39-37 twice.

Benitez gave up an enormous reach advantage to Cepeda, and had a great deal of trouble closing the distance the entire fight. As a result, Cepeda was able to swarm him with a large volume of punches en route to victory.

Martinez, 35, has a record of (30-1-1, 19 KO's) in his last thirty-two fights. In that time span, his only defeat was a controversial twelve-round majority decision to Paul "The Punisher" Williams, which was avenged by Martinez' second round, one-punch knockout of Williams last November.

Dzinziruk, 34, will fight for only the second time in the United States. Previously, the Ukranian-born Dzinziruk scored a tenth-round stoppage in his last bout against Daniel Dawson in Santa Ynez, California. This fight marks Dzinziruk's first appearance at the 160 lb. limit. After winning the WBO Junior Middleweight title, via twelve-round unanimous decision in Germany versus Daniel Santos, Dzinziruk went on to successfully defend his title six times. However, the vacant WBC Diamond Middleweight title is the only one at stake when he collides with Martinez.

During the press conference at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in Manhattan today, both fighters expressed tremendous confidence heading into their middleweight showdown.

"Thank you to HBO and the WBC for giving me this opportunity," stated Martinez. "I also would like to thank Lou Dibella and Sampson Lewkowicz. I'm working hard every day to bring the best to you. I am thankful for Dzinziruk taking this fight. It's going to be a great fight, and I am looking forward to that day."

Martinez added, "This will be the best year for Sergio Martinez to be the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world."

"I am very honored to have an opportunity to fight in America," admitted Dzinziruk. "I believe on March 12th it will be an exciting and entertaining evening."

"This main event is going to be a competitive fight," said Lou Dibella, C.E.O. Dibella Entertainment. "His (Dzinziruk) jab is tremendous, and his defense is remarkable. There's a reason he has a gaudy record, there's a reason he's a world champion, and there is a reason that Sergio accepted this fight."

Dibella added, "Sergio's attitude is, 'Bring me the best. I don't want an easy fight. Bring me the best.' We brought him (Martinez) the best available opponent, and the most difficult fight out there."

"I know that I have the best 154 pounder in the world," exclaimed Gary Shaw, referring to Sergiy Dzinziruk, who he co-promotes with Artie Pellulo. "The question is will he be the best 160 pounder in the world?"

Shaw further commented, "Fans don't want to see easy fights. It's about the best fighting the best all the time."

"A year ago, Sergiy came to us and said he wants to fight in America," confirmed Artie Pellulo, Dzinziruk's co-promoter. "He wants to put it all on the line, and fight the best in the world. That's what it's all about - two of the very best getting in the ring, in their prime, and fighting each other."

"I'm excited and ready," declared McEwan. "He'll be ready, I'll be ready and it will be a good show."

"Craig McEwan is a very good boxer, a lot of skills and is a tricky boxer," explained Lee. "There are a lot of similarities in both of us; We both fight tall, and are both southpaw. We're meeting at the crossroads in our careers. One of us is going to the next level, and whoever loses, has to start again and take a step back."

"We are very happy to be presenting the Diamond belt for this fight," stated Mauricio Sulaiman, son of Jose Sulaiman, President of the World Boxing Council. "This belt is made of gold, and has over 500 diamonds. And, the winner will have many opportunities to give away engagement rings." (Laughter From The Crowd)

"I know Sergiy for many years in Europe," noted Gabriel Sarmiento, trainer of Sergio Martinez. "He's a great person; he's a great champion. I took the good stuff of Sergiy, and gave that knowledge to Martinez."

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The undercard of the IBF 140 pound title fight between Zab Judah and Kaizer Mabuza, held at the Prudential Center's AmeriHealth Pavilion in Newark on March 5, will feature an exciting group of local NJ/NY fighters. This will be the inaugural event for the AmeriHealth Pavilion, which traditionally serves as the NJ Devils practice facility.

Prudential Center fans have come to anticipate the promise of a truly exciting boxing experience when they come to see Brooklyn's, Sadam Ali, 11-0, 6KO's. The Jr. Olympic national Champion has scored 5 professional wins at Pru Center and has developed a loyal fan base here. In his toughest fight to date, Ali is slated to take on Juliano Ramos of Sao Paolo, Brazil, 16-4, 13 KO's, in an 8 round welterweight clash. Ramos has been in notable fights with Mike Jones, Kermit Cintron and Yudel Johnson.

Dong-Chul Yun, 9-4-1, 7 KO's, is travelling from South Korea to the United States to make his US debut vs. Joselito Collado, 11-0, 3 KO's. Collado will bring a large contingent of fans from Queens, NY to cheer him on in the scheduled 8 rounder.

Five-time Golden Gloves winner, Shemuel Pagan, Brooklyn, NY, made his victorious pro debut at Prudential Center in August 2010. Pagan returns to Newark for a 4 round Lightweight fight against Philly's, Lonnie Jackson, 1-0. Early in their amateur career Jackson beat Pagan by 1 point.

Joseph Judah, Brooklyn, NY, 5-1-, 1 KO, is making his first appearance on one of his brother Zab's cards. Joseph will try to better his record when he takes on Greg Hackett of Chester, PA, 2-5.

Lightweight, Joe Peralta Alejo, of Jersey City, 4-1. 2KO's, adds more local flavor to the card in his first fight back since he upset undefeated, Christian Martinez. The 4 round opponent will be confirmed shortly.

Local Jersey amateur favorite and 2010 NJ Golden Gloves Champion, Vinny O'Brien, will make his pro debut as he takes on David Navarro of Philadelphia, PA, 0-1. O'Brien is trained by former heavyweight Lou Esa who also fought in an ice arena during Main Event's Ice World days.

The fight promoted by Main Events and Super Judah Promotions will take place on March 5th at Prudential Center's AmeriHealth Pavilion, Newark, NJ. Doors open at 7:30pm; First fight 8:00pm. Tickets priced at $253 Ringside, $103 Reserved seating on floor, $88 General Admission in Bleachers and $53 GA Standing Room on floor. Tickets available at Prudential Center Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at 800-745-3000 orwww.Prucenter.com

Judah vs. Mabuza will be distributed in North America by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9 PM/ET 6 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay per view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, Avail-TVN and DISH Network in the United States, as well as Viewer's Choice, Shaw and Bell TV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

The Ali, Simms and Dong Chul Yun fights will be televised along with the Judah vs. Mabuza title fight.

Ochieng’s opponent, the reigning British Masters Light Middleweight Champion Lee ‘Lightning’ Noble, clearly didn’t come to fight, instead he just closed up shop and pulled down the shutters, in a similar way that he did against Ochieng’s Ultrachem TKO Gym mate ‘Phat’ Pat McAleese back in September.

‘The Eagle’ had been ringside when Noble knocked out a tiring McAleese - who had thrown a hundred plus punches for over eight rounds - in the ninth with more or less his first real punch of the fight.

On Saturday Ochieng showed a maturity that belied his tender years, by choosing a more patient route than McAleese, by using his jab to good effect and waiting for the opportunity to open up Noble’s fortress like defense.

After six rounds no real opportunity had arisen and judge Ken Curtis rightfully declared the fight a shutout 60-54 points victory to ‘The Eagle’.

Earlier today Ochieng popped into the Ultrachem TKO Gym in Canning Town, whilst there he gave his view of the fight as well as announced the exciting news regarding his next fight. “I thank God for the victory man. Lee was quite heavy, he was eleven-eight and I was eleven-three.

First round I just kept showing him my jab. He was covering up a lot so all I could do was hit him with the jab. Eventually he come forward a bit so I’d hit him with my jab. He was eating my Jab all the time. There wasn’t much I could do he just wasn’t throwing, so I kept jabbing.

That’s all he did was cover up and sometimes used his jab. He’s quite strong but he didn’t want to give me any openings or make a fight of it.

I was in great shape and was ready for any opportunities. He should have opened up and come to fight. I came to fight but he didn’t want to know, he just covered up and stayed out of trouble.

At the end of the six rounds I won, I still won. I feel good, that’s six in a row. Yeah and now my next fight will be for the Southern Area title.

I have such great fans, they were standing shouting ‘Eagle, Eagle, Eagle’ throughout. I was disappointed for them that he didn’t want to make a fight of it. They still kept chanting though.

I have such great fans and can’t thank them enough for the great support. Thanks, you guys are the best fans in the world.”

It is expected that an announcement will be made soon on the date and opponent for Erick ‘The Eagle’ Ochieng’s challenge for the Southern Area Light Middleweight title - Watch this space.www.tkoboxinggym.com

February 8th, 2011Reno -- Let’s Get It On Promotions is pleased to announce the signing of super-featherweight prospect, “Lightning” Lonnie Smith (12-2-2, 9 KOs) to an exclusive promotional agreement. Smith, of Las Vegas, is coming off an explosive first round knockout of Jose Gomez January 7th. Lonnie, who also goes by “Lonnie Love” and “El Negro Mexicano” is known for his non-stop, action packed fighting style. His bouts are often, if not usually, given “Fight of the Night” awards. The heart and passion that Smith displays while fighting, are matched by his charisma and good character out of the ring. “Lonnie is the type of fighter I would pay to see fight.” Says Let’s Get It On Promotions’ Tommy Lane. “Whether it is live, or on television, boxing and sports fans will fall in love with Lonnie Smith. He is very involved in the community, works with less-fortunate youth, and runs his own turkey drive during thanksgiving. But in the ring, he fights his butt off! I can’t wait until he fights on TV.” Smith is no stranger to Let’s Get It On Promotions’ shows, having appeared on three of them since 2009. He currently trains with Skipper Kelp.

Says Smith, “My fighting style is an immaculate conception between Christie Martin and “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler. Hard fighting is what you see three minutes of every round.”When asked why the comparison to Christie Martin, Smith responded, “She nearly got stabbed to death and is fighting a few months later! That’s a true fighter’s spirit!”

Steve BunceThe Definitive Voice of British BoxingBBC London Boxing Hour

London - Tuesday, 8th February 2011

This coming Thursday’s edition of The Steve Bunce Boxing Hour - BBC Radio London 94.9 between 8-9pm on Thursday 10th February 2011 - features part II of the Jimmy Tibbs interview which covers his life as a trainer at the Royal Oak.

Jimmy also talks abou Nigel Benn and Michael Watson as well as some of his current charges Kevin Mitchell and Billy Joe Saunders, who he trains at the Ultrachem TKO Gym in Canning Town.

Steve will also be airing an interview, he undertook last week when visiting Johnny Eames’ TKO gym, with Kevin Mitchell on that night at Upton Park and his future.

Joining Steve live in the studio will be rising Light Welterweight prospect Chris ‘The Flash’ Evangelou, who will be talking about his career to date as well as his upcoming bout on the undercard of the Hennessy Sports promoted John O’Donnell - Craig Watson British Welterweight title clash at Wembley Arena on February 19th.

Also joining Steve live on the phone, from New York, will be legendary boxing writer and historian Bert Randolph Sugar who will be talking about his latest book.

Plus more guests live on the phones.

Steve Bunce’s Boxing Hour goes out on BBC Radio London every Thursday between 8-9pm on BBC London 94.9, online live on BBC iPlayer.

Steve’s exciting thriller ‘The Fixer’ has recently been reprinted and is available now on-line at Amazon.com and all good bookshops, RRP. £9.99.

Monday, February 7, 2011

NEWARK, NJ (February 7, 2011) - Polish boxers Kamil Laszczyk and Rafael Jastrzebski have been added to "Brick City Brawl" on February 19 at Essex County College, which will be promoted by Prize Fight and Global Boxing Promotions.

Laszczyk, 19, is from Wroclaw, Poland and won six national championships back home during a 110-7 amateur career. Laszczyk was training previously with Polish super middleweight champion Piotr Wilczewski but will now work with Aroz "Terrific" Gist.

Making his pro debut, Laszczyk is the first product of the Global Boxing Foundation, which brings young amateur boxers from Poland to America to help them achieve their boxing dreams. As a featherweight, Laszczyk needed all the help he could get.

"There is a very limited market for smaller weight fighters in Europe," says Mariusz Kolodziej, President of Global Boxing Promotions. "In the next couple of months, we want to adjust him to the American style of boxing and match him with the right fights to make him a world-class professional."

Jastrzebski, 29, of Bydgoszcz, Poland competes in the super-middleweight division. His record of 3-6-1 (1 KO) is deceiving, as he was the victim of flagrant mismanagement early in his career. Often times the naive Jastrzebski was placed in cruiserweight (200 pounds) matches to build up the records of others, where he was outweighed by 10 pounds or more.

Now based in Atlantic City, NJ and trained by Bill Johnson and conditioning coach Sean Sutton, Jastrzebski is getting a second chance.

"I'm willing to give him another chance in life because he was misrepresented in his career," says Kolodziej. "It's more than just sports or money, this is his life. He came to America to be a champion and we want to give him every chance. I see great potential in him."

Since teaming up with countryman and unbeaten middleweight Przemek "Patrick" Majewski, Jastrzebski is 3-0 with 1 knockout.

Both men will compete in four round bouts against opponents to be named later.

For more information on Laszczyk, Jastrzebski or any other Global Boxing fighters, visit www.globalboxing.com.

Algieri is coming off a unanimous decision over James Hope.Algieri and Tucker were originally scheduled to fight in September, but Algieri was forced to pull out after breaking his hand in training.Now the hand is fully healed and Algieri looks to continue on his climb up the loaded jr. welterweight division ladder.

Algieri turned pro boxer in 2008, after an extensive and successful career as a kick boxer. After winning the USKBA Northeast Championship as an amateur, Algieri turned pro when he was just 19-years-old, and went on to win the WKA Super Welterweight World Championship only two years later. Algieri ended his kick boxing career as the undefeated, undisputed kick boxing world champion, in not one, but two weight divisions.

The 30-year-old Tucker, who hails from Ohio, is a tough brawler who has only been stopped once in his career. Tucker recently had his career best victory, an upset unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten Michael Torres (13-0, 7KO's).

A complete list of the undercard will be announced shortly. Tickets for "March Mayhem" are priced at $100 for Gold Ringside (first row), $75 Ringside, and $50 for General Admission. Tickets can be purchased by calling Star Boxing at 718 823-2000, or visitingwww.starboxing.com. Doors open at 6:45PM with the first bout scheduled for 7:30PM. The Plattduetsche Park Restaurant is located at 1132 Hempstead Tpke, Franklin Square, NY 11010.

‘ESSEX ERUPTION’, the second of the two-event extravaganza during March to celebrate Steve Goodwin’s first anniversary as a promoter, sees Romford Cruiserweight prospect Tony ‘Conqueror’ Conquest, International Masters Light Middleweight Champion Yassine ‘The Showman’ El Maachi and Newmarket’s ‘Phat’ Pat McAleese co-headline the mega show at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagenham, Essex on Saturday 19th March 2011.

Since turning pro, in September ‘09, Conquest has convincingly won all five of his fights. However it was his last outing, against the highly experienced battler Hastings Rasani, that Conquest showed his true potential.

Right from the start Conquest oozed confidence and made easy work of controlling the fight. As Conquest showcased his range of combinations Rasani just stood his ground, seemingly content to bide his time.

Conquest was savvy, using sharp attacks and swift movement to prevent Rasani being able to mount any sustained attacks of his own. After six rounds Conquest was rightfully declared the winner by a clear 60-54 points margin.

International Masters Light Middleweight Champion Yassine El Maachi gets his first outing of 2011, in a non-championship warm up bout, against a yet to be named opponent. El Maachi is hoping to secure a place in the upcoming Sky Televised Prizefighter series in May.

El Maachi, the current International Master Light Middleweight Champion, successfully defended his title against European #4 ranked Jimmy Colas at Steve Goodwin’s magnificent ‘Judgement Day’ event back in December.

To describe Yassine’s performance as exceptional would be an understatement, awe inspiring may be a better statement but still wouldn’t get across just how slick, classy and totally dominating his performance over the former EBU-EU, and current WBC Latino Light Middleweight champion was.

From the first bell El Maachi teased and frustrated Colas with his unorthodox attacks. Time after time El Maachi would trip the light fantastic before letting rip with a flurry of punches, leaving Colas lashing out at his shadow.

Throughout the contest El Maachi picked off Colas at ease, with wickedly fast uppercuts and combinations, before sashaying away before the hapless Colas could even respond.

As the fight progressed El Maachi stepped the pace up and often showboated as the baying crowd chanted ‘Yassine, Yassine, Yassine’. In round eight El Maachi let rip a scintillatingly fast and vicious right-left combination that rocked Colas to the core, however before El Maachi could finish Colas off the bell rang to end the round.

El Maachi shifted to an even higher gear for the final two rounds, in doing so he put on one helluva show and picking off Colas with exquisite uppercuts, right crosses and blisteringly fast combinations. A knockout finish looked to be on the cards but in the end Colas showed his durability by surviving the constant onslaught. Referee Jeff Hinds scored the bout a resounding 98-92 to Yassine El Maachi.

For almost nine rounds McAleese not just outworked Noble, he plain dominated him. Noble’s work rate was exceptionally poor, he seemed content to cover up and absorb the constant barrage of punches, only occasionally responding with the odd jab or flurry here and there.

In the dying seconds of the ninth round Noble let rip with a peach of a right uppercut. It was a near perfect shot and dropped McAleese on the spot. Up until that fateful moment McAleese had been winning the round, as he had done the eight that preceded it.

On the 19th March McAleese will be facing another tough battle as his opponent will be Germany’s # 26 ranked Marcen Gierke, who is a three time German title challenger.

McAleese will be determined to make a statement on his return as he has already being hinting at a trilogy fight with Noble in the very near future.

Explosive all action fighters seem to be the standard at Steve Goodwin promoted shows and as such it comes as no surprise that supporting the headlining trio is a ten bout undercard featuring some of the most exciting local young fighters looking to make their mark in 2011.

Another of the young prospects from Johnny Eames’ TKO stable, Carshalton’s ‘Pretty’ Ricky Boylan, gets his third outing against Nuneaton bruiser Kristian Laight.

In addition Romford Light Heavyweight Billy Slate, unbeaten Belvedere Featherweight ‘Saint’ George Jupp, Biggleswade Light Middleweight Jamie Boness, Rainham Super Featherweight Richard Hines and more will be in action against yet to be named opponents.

Tickets for ESSEX ERUPTION at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagenham, Essex on Saturday 19th March 2011 - and Part 1 of the Goodwin Anniversary Celebrations UNLEASH THE FURY at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, London on Saturday 5th March 2011 - are priced £35 (Unreserved) or £60 (Ringside) and on sale NOW.